This article brings together the varied writings of the «Flemish alfaqueque» and Moroccan translator, Jorge de Henin (floruit 1597-1628), to illustrate how the professional category of hombre de estado emerged from strategies of self-fashioning by diverse agents seeking positions in the Spanish monarchy. This profession was not that of a statesman, but rather a professional intermediary who ensured the success of diverse translations across deep religious, political, and economic rivalries among Mediterranean powers. Along with his other self-vaunted credentials—redeemer of captives, royal advisor, economic expert—Henin’s facility with languages and his ability to translate between Dutch, Arabic, and Spanish speakers was at the core of his persona as an hombre práctico or de experiencia—a role he eventually came to characterize as hombre de estado—who could ensure the reform and success of the Spanish state.